


Ariel's Beginning

by TheAssassinLover



Series: An Assassin in the Shadows, A Thief in the Night [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Ariel's orgin story, Beginnings, Dark Brotherhood (Elder Scrolls) - Freeform, F/M, Murder, Riften (Elder Scrolls), Running, Sisters, Thieves Guild, Travel, meetings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:14:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25231462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAssassinLover/pseuds/TheAssassinLover
Summary: When her sister comes home covered in blood Ariel's life is completely uprooted. As they travel Skyrim in the aftermath she meets some unexpected friends. Despite how brief their crossing was, she never did forget them. Or the life she caught a glimpse of that day.Covers the first time Ariel and Brynjolf met, as well as how she and Astrid joined the brotherhood.
Relationships: Astrid (Elder Scrolls) & Original Female Character(s), Gallus Desidenius/Karliah
Series: An Assassin in the Shadows, A Thief in the Night [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825006
Kudos: 2





	Ariel's Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a short chapter fic. Probably 2 or 3 chapters just establishing how Ariel came to know the thieves and how she and Astrid eventually joined the brotherhood.

Ariel whimpered as drunken footsteps stumbled ever closer to where she had hidden. Her small six-year-old body was forced into a corner under the bed, bent in a way that would be awkward for anyone even slightly larger. “Ariellll,” A voice slurred. “I know yer in therrrre.” The girl hid her face against her knees as she waited for him to inevitably find her. The steps stopped in front of the bed, and just as the shadow she could see bent to glance beneath it, the door to the house opened. “Ohhh, yer sister came home. Lucky you.” The steps wobbled away and Ariel cried in relief. 

“Assstriiid.” The man could be heard calling. “Where were...w-what? What is the meaning of this?!” Muffled words were the response followed by the sounds of a struggle. “No. No!” A gurgling noise was heard and the house fell silent as a grave. Ariel didn’t dare move from her spot.

Softer, steadier steps made there way toward the bed now. “Ariel?” A quiet voice called.

“A-astrid?” She sniffed.

“Yes.” She replied softly “You can come out now. It’s safe.”

Slowly she crawled out from under the bed, her dirty dress catching some of the nails in the floorboards. When Astrid came into view Ariel stopped dead, shrieking in shock. The woman was splattered with blood. “Y-you’re…”

“Shhhh,” Astrid hushed her. “I need you to listen to me very carefully, Ariel.” Her eyes bore into Ariel’s. “I need you to grab anything you absolutely have to have. Dresses, shoes, hairbrush and your doll. Put them in a sack. We have to go.”

“But father-”

“Father is dead.” Astrid said sharply. “So is uncle.  _ We have to go. _ ” Astrid repeated.

Ariel swallowed as her small mind put two-and-two together as to why her older sister was currently covered in blood. “O-okay.” She stuttered before scurrying to her chest. She took the sack Astrid handed her and shoved her few dresses and a spare pair of shoes into it, as well as the ratty doll she had on the bed, and the comb on the dresser. “I’m ready.”

“Good.” Astrid said closing her own chest. “Let’s go.” 

Ariel whimpered as the two passed their father’s bloodied body. An iron dagger stuck up out of the base of his throat, eyes wide with shock and glazed over. Astrid grabbed Ariel and covered her eyes, leading her from the home. Once they were outside Astrid took her sister’s hand and they vanished into the woods behind their home, neither looking back. The darkness of night was their cover. They moved swiftly, for Astrid knew they had until morning at the latest for one of the passing guards to spot their uncle’s body in the field. Their father would be found soon after.

***

After traveling for at least an hour Astrid pulled them aside to a stream. She took this time to strip from her bloodied dress and wash the crusted liquid from her skin and hair. The ruined garment was buried in the stream beneath some rocks. Eventually, the current would loosen it free, but they would be long gone by then. After changing into a cleaner dress the two continued on.

“I’m sleepy.” Ariel said, her pace growing slower by the minute. “Can’t we stop?”

Astrid shook her head. “Not yet. We have to get out of Eastmarch.” She reached for her sister’s hand once more. “Once we cross into the Rift the guards won’t be able to find us. We’ll be outside their hold.”

Ariel yawned but reluctantly nodded. “Okay, a bit longer then.” She dutifully followed Astrid until eventually, the small girl’s legs began to drag, her eyes drooping further. 

Astrid looked at her sister and sighed. “Come here.” She held out her arms and Ariel walked over, letting Astrid lift her. She wrapped her arms around her sister’s neck and buried her face in her shoulder. “What am I going to do with you?” She heard Astrid mutter before sleep fully took her.

When Ariel awoke it wasn’t to her sister moving or a dark forest, but a bed. She sat up startled, looking around rapidly and relaxing only when she realized Astrid was asleep beside her. The girl was confused as to where they were, but she assumed they must have crossed the border somewhere after she drifted off, and Astrid found a road leading to an inn. “Astrid.” Ariel whispered shaking her sister. The woman groaned waving a hand to shoo her. She tried again. “Astrid, I’m hungry.”

Once again grumbling Astrid felt around on the bedside table, making contact with a coin purse. She shook a few pieces of gold into her sister’s hand. “Go buy food.” She mumbled. “Let me sleep.”

Ariel didn’t know where Astrid had gotten the gold, but did not want to ask. She quietly left the room, approaching the innkeeper hesitantly. “Ah, I see you’ve awoken.” The man said cheerily. “You was sleeping like the dead when you were brought in.” Ariel gave a wary smile in response. “What can I get you, lass?”

Ariel carefully held out the hand with the gold. “I’m hungry.” She muttered looking down and shifting her feet.

“No need to be shy, dear. I can fix you right up. That'll be five gold.” Ariel looked at the gold in her hand and counted six. She put one in her dress pocket and handed the man the rest. “Perfect. Go on and take a seat at that table over there. I’ll bring your food shortly.”

“Thank you.” She whispered before moving to the indicated seat. Ariel hopped up on the chair, feet dangling a bit off the floor. They swung absentmindedly as she thought about the past day’s events. Astrid had murdered their father. By all accounts, she was a killer and should be arrested. Ariel knew this, but she also knew that their father was a terrible man. He would drink to excess and beat her, and she would hear him and Astrid scuffling all the time. Her uncle was dead too apparently. Ariel had a feeling Astrid had a hand in that as well.

“Here you are.” A plate was set in front of her, breaking her thoughts. “Hope stew for breakfast is alright. We don’t have a lot o’ options out here.” Ariel nodded. “You don’t talk much do ya?” She shook her head. “Well, I hope ya enjoy the meal at least.” With that he let her be.

Ariel stirred the stew around a moment before taking a small taste of it. Smiling to herself at the pleasant flavor she instantly dug in, not realizing how famished she had been until that moment. Some of the other patrons gave her a look, but seeing that she was a small child in a somewhat dirtied dress they left her be.

When she finished Ariel decided to see where exactly she was, and so she left the inn. It was a little town, only a handful of buildings visible. She walked down the cobbled street, noticing the farm animals and a dog sleeping in the shade.

She let her mind wander as she walked, and because of this, she stopped paying attention to her surroundings. A hand on her shoulder stopped her dead as a shriek tore from her throat. “Hush, Ariel. It’s me.” Astrid’s familiar voice had her relaxing slightly. “Don’t wander off like that. We aren’t quite safe yet.”

Ariel swallowed. “Sorry, Astrid.”

Her sister shook her head. “Come on. We have a lot of ground to cover.”

Ariel was less than thrilled by the idea of walking all day again, but she trusted her sister, and so she obediently followed, going ever further into the southern reaches of Skyrim.

**Author's Note:**

> There's chapter 1. Hopefully you all enjoyed it. Comments and Kudos mean the world. See ya!


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